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Published January 10, 2016 | Published
Journal Article Open

The Phase Space of z ~ 1.2 SpARCS Clusters: Using Herschel to Probe Dust Temperature as a Function of Environment and Accretion History

Abstract

We present a five-band Herschel study (100–500 μm) of three galaxy clusters at z ~ 1.2 from the Spitzer Adaptation of the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey. With a sample of 120 spectroscopically confirmed cluster members, we investigate the role of environment on galaxy properties utilizing the projected cluster phase space (line-of-sight velocity versus clustercentric radius), which probes the time-averaged galaxy density to which a galaxy has been exposed. We divide cluster galaxies into phase-space bins of r/r_(200) x Δv/σ_v, tracing a sequence of accretion histories in phase space. Stacking optically star-forming cluster members on the Herschel maps, we measure average infrared star formation rates, and, for the first time in high-redshift galaxy clusters, dust temperatures for dynamically distinct galaxy populations—namely, recent infalls and those that were accreted onto the cluster at an earlier epoch. Proceeding from the infalling to virialized (central) regions of phase space, we find a steady decrease in the specific star formation rate and increase in the stellar age of star-forming cluster galaxies. We perform a probability analysis to investigate all acceptable infrared spectral energy distributions within the full parameter space and measure a ~4σ drop in the average dust temperature of cluster galaxies in an intermediate phase-space bin, compared to an otherwise flat trend with phase space. We suggest one plausible quenching mechanism which may be consistent with these trends, invoking ram-pressure stripping of the warmer dust for galaxies within this intermediate accretion phase.

Additional Information

© 2015. The American Astronomical Society. Received 2015 September 1; accepted 2015 November 2; published 2016 January 5. We thank the anonymous referee, whose comments improved the clarity of the manuscript. The authors would also like to thank numerous people for useful discussions, including Rachel Friesen, Suresh Sivanandam, Alexander van Engelen, and Marco Viero. This work is based in part on observations made with Herschel, a European Space Agency Cornerstone Mission with significant participation by NASA. Support for this work was provided by NASA through an award issued by JPL/Caltech. T.M.A.W. acknowledges the support of the NSERC Discovery Grant. H.K.C.Y. is supported by the NSERC Discovery Grant and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. G.W. gratefully acknowledges support from NSF grants AST-0909198 and AST-1517863. R.F.J.v.d.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council under FP7 grant number 340519. Facilities: Herschel Space Observatory (PACS; SPIRE) - , Spitzer Space Telescope (MIPS; IRAC) - , Gemini (GMOS) - .

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August 22, 2023
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October 17, 2023